Land Deed of Henry Copping

Beverly Prud’homme

The Copping family was among the earliest families to settle in Rawdon, Quebec, the first township established north of the seigneuries of the St. Lawrence River. In 1799, the region was opened to settlement. The area attracted colonists mostly from Ireland and England and the United States because of the availability of land for farming. Although Rawdon had little to offer in the way of good fertile land or business opportunities, the prospect of owning land and being independent was enough of a draw for many immigrants to Quebec. The region retained its primarily Irish background until the 1840s when French-speaking settlers moved into the district and began to establish small businesses and industries.

The story of the Copping family perhaps best represents the typical experience of many English-speaking settlers in Quebec after the Constitutional Act of 1791, which opened up land beyond the seigneuries initially to British, Irish and American settlers. George Copping was born June 11, 1780, in Hatfield, Broad Oak, Essex County, England. He married Elizabeth Saggers on June 5, 1806, in London, England. With four little boys in tow, ranging in age from three months to four years, the Copping family left London, England on May 5, 1811, on board the “SS Lively.” Two months later, they landed at the busy port of Quebec City on July 1st , 1811.

The family spent four years in the Quebec City area where two more children were added to the family. Sometime before November 1816, the family relocated to Montreal and again, three more Copping children were born. Prior to September 1823 the family made a final move to Rawdon (about 60 kilometres north of Montreal), then in the very early throes of settlement. The family settled on Lot 26 of the 6th Range in the recently surveyed Rawdon Township. The last two children were born to the Copping family in their Rawdon home.

George and Elizabeth settled well in their new region and, in addition to running their own farm and raising 11 children, they were very involved in their community. George Copping was active in the establishment of a school. The first known school house opened in the summer of 1825, in temporary quarters, under the governance of the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning.

George also participated in the development of the Anglican Church. The earliest church in Rawdon was the Anglican Mission, led by the Reverend James Edmund Burton who had been sent out by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in London to minister to the area. The first Anglican Church was built on Lot 22 of the 2nd range in what is now St-Ligouri. George and his sons were involved in the building of two subsequent Anglican Churches in Rawdon. A frame church was built in the village on Church Street. This was replaced by the present stone church, which has been in constant use since its construction in 1857–1861. The building has been designated a historical site and is undergoing restoration at the moment. George also held a position on a committee dedicated to settling local disputes. Minor cases were judged by this group of local citizens and more serious problems, such as murder, were referred to a higher court.

As both Elizabeth and George were literate, they were often called upon to assist their community and hold positions of importance. George was frequently asked to read and write letters and documents for his neighbours. Elizabeth Copping took on a role as a midwife and nurse in her community and was called out to attend to births, serious illness, or grave accidents. Among other incidents, she was credited with saving the life of a little girl seriously scalded by boiling water. George and at least four of his sons served in the local militia.

The family prospered over the years and when he was able, George and Elizabeth's son Henry Thomas Copping purchased a lot of his own behind his parent's land on May 22, 1860. Life continued for the Copping family and they faced the milestones of life including births, marriages and deaths together as a family.

Henry's son Harry took over the family farm but died of pneumonia as a young man, leaving a wife with six small children between the ages of six months and 14. Mary McClatchy Copping had to face life without a husband. With typical Irish fortitude, Mary raised her children and nursed tuberculosis patients sent from the Montreal General Hospital to “Clarence House,” her home in Rawdon, to recuperate in clean country air. It was a tribute to Mary's superior housekeeping and cuisine that none of her family contracted the highly infectious disease.

Today both Copping farms, Charles’ and Henry's, are abandoned. The buildings on Henry's farm have long since disappeared, ravaged by flames more than 50 years ago. A few years ago I clambered up onto the hill behind where the farm buildings once stood. On a rocky patch, known by family and friends as “the rocks,” I tried to imagine the farm as it was when Henry purchased the lot, and as it was when my grandfather was growing up there.

Before my eyes, the view was pretty much the land as it had been. The farm has returned to its original state, minus the large, old hardwoods which are still in their youth. A patch of rhubarb, a few wild roses and a minor, rock strewn indentation where the house stood are all that are left to remind us of the struggles and pleasures experienced there so many years ago. Even the road that led to the farm has completely grown over.

As for the time when my grandfather was there, old family photos of the farm and its people floated across my memory and I wondered just what Henry would have thought. Would he have appreciated the present neglect, the waste and disregard for so many years of hard work and sacrifice, or would he have accepted that his efforts were just a temporary accomplishment subject to the passage of time?

By reading this I've just been reminded of Herman Copping. He died way too young. Fondly remember him and his wife Jenny at Pete Robinson's
stable near Gratten Lake. Spent my summers there riding back in the late 60's.
Was he a part of this family tree?

Hello, I am Herman & Jenny's daughter, Colleen. I just read your post. Thank you for your kindness. Would love to hear more about my parents as I lost them so young - Mom left I was 4 and dad passed when I was 9. Have a lovely day. Today would have been his 85th birthday.

I have to make a correction, this is the right order. for are family tree on the Copping side.

John Copping (1757 - 1834)
is your 4th great grandfather
George Copping (1780 - 1852)
son of John Copping
James Copping (1814 - 1894)
son of George Copping
John George Copping (1840 - 1900)
son of James Copping
Frederick Gordon Copping (1889 - 1937)
son of John George Copping
Marjorie Ruth Copping (1930 - )
daughter of Frederick Gordon Copping
John Clifford Cowper
You are the son of Marjorie Ruth Copping

Hello, I am Herman & Jenny's daughter, Colleen. I just read your post. Thank you for your kindness. Would love to hear more about my parents as I lost them so young - Mom left I was 4 and dad passed when I was 9. Have a lovely day. Today would have been his 85th birthday.

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Land Deed of Henry Copping

I am the land deed that affirmed that Henry Thomas Copping owned land in the Township of Rawdon. I meant a great deal to him. I symbolized his coming of age and his future. Sadly, I outlasted generations of the Copping family. I am all that is left to prove that Henry Copping owned this section of land and I am proud to bear his name.

Abstract

In 1860, Henry Thomas Copping purchased land in Rawdon, Quebec. Like his parents before him, Henry Copping farmed the land and worked hard to make a difference in the newly settled community. When life proved too difficult to farm the sandy and rocky soil, settlers left the region for the more prosperous Eastern Townships and elsewhere in Canada and the United States. Many members of the Copping family also relocated, but Henry and his son Harry chose to remain and committed their lives to their farm and their community. The 1860 Copping land deed represents the struggles and successes of thousands of English-speaking immigrants who made their home in Quebec.